G.O.A.T., The Luke, Mr. Baja, Among first entries for San Felipe

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com

February 20, 2023

‘Celebrating 50 Years of Desert Racing Excellence’

March 28-April 2 in San Felipe

King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250,

Fueled by Baja Vida Snacks

G.O.A.T., ‘The Luke,’ Menzies, D. McMillin, CPRacing,

Vildosola Sr., Vildosola Jr, M/M Matlock, Aussies,

‘Mr. Baja’, Tres ‘Los Terribles’, all earliest entries

 

Season opener of four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship,

Online racer registration for San Felipe closes on Thursday, March 16;

Pre-running opens on Saturday, March 18

NOTE: Unofficial King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250, fueled by Baja Vida, entry list at bottom of text

    ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico – ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Desert Racing Excellence’ this year, earliest entries for the upcoming season-opening King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250, fueled by Baja Vida, include Rob ‘The G.O.A.T.’ MacCachren, Luke ‘The Luke’ McMillin, Bryce Menzies, Dan McMillin, Christopher Polvoorde, Larry ‘Mr. Baja’ Roeseler, father and son Gustavo Vildosola Sr and Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr, Wayne Matlock and his wife Kristen Matlock along with Paul Weel/Toby Price, Tim Herbst, Thor Herbst, EJ Herbst.

     Round 1 of the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held March 28-April 2 in the quaint, peaceful village of San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.

     Pre-race Contingency and Tech Inspection and the start/finish line compound will be located on the picturesque El Malecon in San Felipe along the inspiring azure waters of the Sea of Cortez.

     San Felipe is 125 miles south of the U.S. Border at Calexico, Calif. on the eastern side of the Baja peninsula along the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez. All four 2023 SCORE races will be held on Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula for the eighth consecutive year.

EARLY ENTRIES

     With over 300 entries anticipated at the start line to launch the 50th season of SCORE desert racing, 90 total early entries have been received so far for the popular ‘Spring Break’ event, with racers representing 18 U.S. States, and six countries. The countries with at least one racer so far are United States, host country Mexico, Australia, Canada, Denmark and New Zealand.

DOUBLE DIGITS

     With double-digit entries to date are the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck (high-tech, unlimited, 1000-horsepower, custom trucks) with 21 and Trophy Truck Spec, (SCORE Trophy Trucks with spec engines) with 24.

EARLY BIRDS

     Among the earliest entries for this year’s race are SCORE Trophy Truck super-stallions Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, San Diego’s Luke McMillin, Las Vegas’ Bryce Menzies, Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., Mexico’s Gustavo Vildosola Sr and his son Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr, along with Christopher Polvoorde, Hemet, Calif., in Trophy Truck Spec, Alpine, Calif. racers Wayne Matlock and his wife Kristen Matlock in separate vehicles in the Pro UTV Open class and Australian international stars in Paul Weel/Toby Price in SCORE Trophy Truck and Las Vegas’ Tim Herbst (SCORE Trophy Truck), Thor Herbst (Trophy Truck Spec) and EJ Herbst (Trophy Truck Spec).

THREE DECADES-PLUS

     Celebrating the 36th anniversary of the youngest of the three legendary SCORE Baja races, sometimes referred to as the SCORE ‘Baby Baja’, entries are being accepted on the SCORE website under Race Info at https://score-international.com/raceinfo/2023-san-felipe-250-march-28-april-2-2023/ for Pro and Sportsman entries for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.

ENTRY DEADLINES

     The deadline to enter in time to be included in the SCORE San Felipe 250 Race Day program is 5 p.m. PT on Friday March 10.

     The deadline to apply online and be included in the drawing for starting positions within each class is 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, March 16. Starting positions for the classes that aren’t qualifying will be determined by a random drawing after the close of online racer registration. Results of the start draw will be posted on the SCORE website by 6 p.m. PT on Friday, March 17.

     Late entries may register in person at the SCORE Ensenada office will have until 5 p.m. PT on Friday, March 24. Those late entries, however, will not be included in the start draw.

     Late, on-site entries will receive the next starting position within the class entered.

     Questions should be directed to Shannon Lund, SCORE Registration and Membership Director at 775.852.8907 or registration@SCORE-International.com.

QUALIFYING

     For just the fourth time in the history of this popular ‘Spring Break’ race, SCORE will hold a qualifying session starting at 7 a.m. PT on Wednesday, March 29 to determine the starting positions within each class for the SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend and Trophy Truck Spec classes. The starting order for qualifying in each class will be the order in which they entered the race.

     Entries received in the qualifying classes received after Friday, March 24 will be given then next available starting slot within their respective classes.

     Start order for qualifying will be determined by the date and time that they are received.

     Qualifying is not open to the public and will be held on a five-mile course that is not part of the official race course.

G.O.A.T.—SIX-TIMER

    While three racers have three overall victories in the SCORE San Felipe 250, Las Vegas’ Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Rob MacCachren, 57, might have set a standard that will last for awhile, unless he breaks his own record of six overall and SCORE Trophy Truck wins.

     MacCachren, admired as the G.O.A.T. of off-road racing, he won the overall in San Felipe in 2018 to give him 10 class wins in this race, earned his first SCORE Trophy Truck overall in this race in 2003 when he split the driving with Mexico’s Gustavo Vildosola Sr and his second in 2007 when he split the driving with Mark Post.

     MacCachren earned back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012 driving solo and won his fifth in 2017 and his sixth in 2018 driving solo again in his No. 11 MacCachren Motorsports Ford F-150.

     The G.O.A.T. has an amazing 315 career race wins in desert, short-course and stadium off-road racing.

BIG BLUE M RACING

…‘THE LUKE’

    Quickly emerging as the ‘Face of SCORE’ with a looks of a movie star and the heart of a lion, San Diego’s third-generation desert racer Luke ‘The Luke’ McMillin, 30, roared his way to the top of the point leaderboard in the SCORE Trophy Truck division and eventually the top of the SCORE Overall point leaderboard as well in 2022.

    Driving solo the first three races of the year, Luke McMillin finished first in the SCORE San Felipe 250, sixth place in the SCORE Baja 500, second-place in the SCORE Baja 400 and capped the season with the help of the G.O.A.T. (Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren who drove the first 394 miles) by winning the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000 to complete his championship 2022 season in the SCORE World Desert Championship.

     The youngest of the current active McMillin racers, Luke McMillin won the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division and the SCORE Overall and SCORE Truck title with 534 points in his McMillin Racing No. 83 4 Wheel Parts All Wheel Drive Chevy 1500 built by Mason Motorsports.

     Luke McMillin now has four career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins and earned a threepeat in in the 2022 BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, splitting the driving with Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren as his second driver. McMillin won the 2021 SCORE Baja 1000 as the second driver for MacCachren and in 2020 he won the iconic race with Larry Roeseler as his additional driver.

     In the SCORE San Felipe 250, “The Luke” won Class 1 in 2012 before last year’s SCORE Trophy Truck and SCORE Overall race win.

…DAN McMILLIN

     One the third-generation of McMillin family racers from the Big Blue Machine, San Diego’s Dan McMillin, 35, returns to race in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division against his younger brother Luke McMillin and as many as 50 expected SCORE Trophy Truck entries.

     Dan McMillin won the 2020 SCORE Baja 500 which was held in San Felipe because of the pandemic and he drives the No. 23 4 Wheel Parts AWD Chevy 1500 built by Mason Motorsports.

     In 2022, Dan McMillin finished 22nd in the season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250, 10th in the SCORE Baja 500 and third place in the SCORE Baja 400 and capped the year by finishing second behind his brother in the SCORE Baja 1000.

     For the year, Dan McMillin finished second (behind his brother Luke McMillin) in the 2022 SCORE Trophy Truck season point standings, his best finish in the featured racing division and the SCORE Overall point standings.

AWD MENZIES

     A one-time protégé of Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas’ Bryce Menzies has molded his own substantial career in desert racing and rally racing out of the Menzies Motorsports race shop in his hometown.

     Menzies, 35, literally exploded onto the SCORE desert racing scene in 2011 winning the SCORE Overall point championship, the SCORE Trophy Truck season point crown, two individual race wins and was voted as the 2011 SCORE Rookie of the Year.

     Menzies has eight career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins, the most recent being last September when he won the SCORE Baja 400 for the second straight year.

     A great start that has evolved into branching out into short-course racing, rally race, long-jump record feats and rock-crawling victories.

     In 2016 Menzies made history by jumping his off-road truck 115.6m (379.4ft) over a New Mexico ghost town to set a new truck distance record.

     With eight career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins, Menzies is obviously among the favorites in his No. 7 Red Bull Menzies Motorsports Ford Raptor all-wheel drive SCORE Trophy Truck built by Mason Motorsports.

     He won the 2021 SCORE San Felipe 250 and finished second in this race in 2022.

CPR

     Building experience and some years under his belt along the trail upwards, SoCal’s youthful dynamo Christopher Polvoorde led the SCORE Overall point standings for three races in 2022 and the massive Trophy Truck Spec class as well until an untimely DNF in the SCORE Baja 1000 stopped his championship run.

     But the young buck is back!

     He started last year with a season-opening Trophy Truck Spec class victory at the King Shocks 35th SCORE San Felipe 250 that saw a race-high 36 starters in his class.

     Polvoorde may be just 22 years old, but he has already been racing for over nine years and has evolved quickly into a SCORE Baja racing championship contender.

     He followed up his San Felipe victory with a fourth place finish out of 32 starters in Trophy Truck Spec at the SCORE Baja 500 the drove back to the top of the podium over 24 starters for another class win at the SCORE Baja 400.

     Polvoorde has raced in many different disciplines including Short Course, Desert Racing, Rally Racing, Midget Racing, Robby Gordon’s Stadium Trucks, Kart Racing and the King of the Hammers where he won his class in 2022.

     When he isn’t driving four-wheel race vehicles, he also is an avid mountain bike enthusiast in his limited spare time.

     Polvoorde drives the No. 204 CP Racing Mason Motorsports-Ford.

     Polvoorde is also a full-time college student attending the University of San Diego on scholarship seeking a double major in finance and real estate through the USD School of Business.

LR—MR. BAJA

     A racing legend on both sides of the Border, Hall of Famer Larry Roeseler simply goes by ‘Mr. Baja’ in Mexico. Living in Boulevard, Calif., Roeseler, 65, has been racing in SCORE Baja races since the early 1970s with an unrivaled record of excellence both on two wheels as well as four wheels.

     In the SCORE Baja 1000, LR, as he is also known by friends and competitors, has a race-record 14 overalls (including 10 on motorcycles) among his 18 career class wins.

     This year Roeseler will again be the solo driver in SCORE Trophy Truck for the No. 43 Cantina Racing Baja Vida Toyota Tundra built by ID Designs. In 2021, Roeseler won the SCORE Baja 500 overall and drove solo to a strong finish in the SCORE Baja 1000 peninsula run. The SCORE Baja 500 victory in 2021 gave him five career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins.

     In the 2020 season finale at the SCORE Baja 1000, Roeseler drove the first half of the race for the overall winning Luke McMillin.

     The very popular Roeseler is an inductee into both the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) (2012) and the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Hall of Fame (1999).

     In the SCORE San Felipe 250, Roeseler has six career class wins in three different classes. He has won the Pro Moto Unlimited Class (1991, 1992), Class 7 (1996, 1998) and Class 1 (2006, 20070).

MEXICANA LOGISTICS

     Considered the first family of Mexican desert racers, Gustavo Vildosola Sr and his son Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr are both entered in the SCORE Baja 1000.

     From Mexicali, Gustavo, 69, and Tavo, 41, are both veteran SCORE racers with numerous race wins and season point titles on their impressive resumes.

     For this year’s SCORE Baja 1000, they will be in different trucks, one in SCORE TT Legend (SCORE Trophy Truck drivers over 50 years old and the other in SCORE Trophy Truck.

     Gustavo Vildosola Sr will drive the No. 21L all-wheel drive Ford Raptor built by Mason Motorsports in SCORE TT Legend.

     Vildosola Sr won the 2022 SCORE TT Legend (drivers over 50 years old) season point title following undefeated season with four straight victories in the SCORE San Felipe 250, the SCORE Baja 500, the SCORE Baja 400 and the SCORE Baja 1000. Vildosola Sr, also won the SCORE TT Legend season point championship in 2018 with Scott Bailey as a second driver.

     He won in all four races in 2022 with help from legendary Hall of Fame racer Ricky Johnson, 58, El Cajon, Calif. who drove the first half of each race.

     Vildosola Sr also has three career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins in his illustrious career in SCORE desert racing.

     Vildosola Sr, who has raced in many classes in his illustrious career, has three career class wins in the SCORE San Felipe 250, two in SCORE Trophy Truck (2003, 2013) and in SCORE TT Legend in 2017.

     Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr will drive the No. 21 all-wheel drive Ford Raptor built by Mason Motorsports in SCORE Trophy Truck.

     Tavo has six career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins including three straight in the SCORE San Felipe 250 (2013, 2014, 2015).

     In the SCORE San Felipe 250, Tavo has six career class wins, three each in Pro Truck (1996, 2005, 2006) and SCORE Trophy Truck.

MR & MRS MATLOCK

     After many championship seasons and race wins driving in separate classes, Wayne Matlock and his wife Kristen Matlock, of Alpine, Calif. are entered in the same class for the 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship for the second straight year.

     Both are racing in the Pro UTV Open class in separate (but equal) new Polaris RZR Pro R UTVs. Each vehicle has a chassis built by TSCO in El Cajon, Calif.

     Wayne pilots the No. 1871 Polaris RZR Pro R UTV and Kristen is behind the wheel of the No. 1854 Polaris RZR Pro R UTV. Both will be solo drivers in San Felipe.

     In the SCORE San Felipe 250, Wayne Matlock, 45, has eight career class wins (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) including several in quads before moving to UTV classes.

     Kristen Matlock, 42, who has been racing many far less years than her husband, has earned three UTV class wins in this race (2018, 2019, 2021) in the Pro UTV NA (Naturally Aspirated) class.

     In their simultaneous debut in the Pro UTV Open class in last year’s SCORE San Felipe 250, Wayne Matlock was the fastest of all the UTVs in four classes including winning his class while Kristen Matlock finished in seventh place out of 10 starters in their class.

     In the 2022 Pro UTV Open season points, Kristen Matlock on the podium in third place while Wayne Matlock finished in fifth. In season-ending SCORE Baja 1000 Wayne Matlock finished third in class while his wife Kristen was fourth.

AUSSIE DOUBLE

     Returning after a stunning fifth-place debut out of 34 starters in SCORE Trophy Truck in last year’s SCORE Baja 400 will be the Australian duo Paul Weel, 43, and Dakar Rally motorcycle champ Toby Price, 35, in their No. 46 Ford Raptor-Geiser.

     Price finished second overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck in the 2019 SCORE Baja 1000 as the second driver from Qatar’s Nasser Al-Atiyah.

     Weel is a veteran Australian off-road racer and former supercar driver.

     Price is an eight-time KTM factory racer in the Dakar Rally race having won the motorcycle division in both 2016 and 2019 and finishing on the podium in second place this year and in third place in 2015, 2018 and 2020.

     The Aussie duo raced together in last year’s SCORE Baja 1000 as well, but suffered mechanical issues that put them out of the race.

TRES ‘LOS TERRIBLES’

     Another one of the most legendary families in all of desert racing, the Herbst family now has part of its third generation as racers on the Terrible Herbst Motorsports Monster Energy team from Las Vegas.

     Started by family patriarch the late Jerry Herbst back in the 1970s and carrying through until the 2010s with brothers Ed, Tim and Troy Herbst, part of the third generation of the Herbst boys has taken to desert racing.

     For this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250, Terrible Herbst Motorsports will have three of their Herbst-Smith Fab custom trucks in the starting grid, one in SCORE Trophy Truck and two in Trophy Truck Spec.

     Driver of record in the No. 19 Monster Energy Ford F-150 in SCORE Trophy Truck will be Tim Herbst, 58, who will share driving duties with another celebrated second-gen desert racer from Las Vegas, Pat Dean, 53.

     Driver of record in the No. 219 Monster Energy Chevy Silverado in Trophy Truck Spec will be Tim Herbst’s sons Thor Herbst, 23, and Pierce Herbst, 20.

     The third Terrible Herbst Motorsports entry will be the No. 263, with EJ Herbst (son of Ed Herbst), 22, with New Zealand rally racer Ryan Millen, 37, as his second driver.

     Historically in San Felipe, Tim Herbst teamed with his older brother Ed to win the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck class four times, 1995 and then three consecutive years (1999, 2000, 2001).

GRANDEST MARSHAL

     Sal Fish, adored as the iconic ‘godfather’ of SCORE desert racing, has agreed to be the Grand Marshal for the entire four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship as SCORE is ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Desert Racing Excellence.’

     Fish, a former publisher of Hot Rod Magazine and a 2006 inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, was part of SCORE for 38 years, from 1974 until he sold the organization on Dec. 20, 2012.

     His footprint has left an indelible mark on all of desert racing as he was an extraordinary innovator and visionary for SCORE and the entire world of desert racing.

SCOREscope

2023 GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY SCHEDULE

     Here are the dates for the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship Golden Anniversary season, ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Desert Racing Excellence’, which will be held totally in Baja California, Mexico for the eighth consecutive year:

King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250, fueled by Baja Vida—

March 28-April 2, San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico

BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—

May 31-June 4, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels—

September 12-17, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—

November 13-18, La Paz, Baja California Sur to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

SCORE SPONSORS…

     Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and Race Title Sponsor, 4 Wheel Parts-Official Off-Road Retailer and Race Presenting Partner, Ford-Official Truck and SUV, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber and Race Title Sponsor, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel and race presenting sponsor, Baja Vida-Official Snacks and race presenting sponsor, Optima Batteries-Official Batteries, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino and PCI Race Radios.

     SCORE Official Partners: The Satellite Phone Store, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance.

     Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Baja California Secretary of Tourism, MEXICO Secretary of Tourism, San Felipe Foundational Municipal Council, Ensenada Municipal Government, San Felipe Marketing Tourism Committee, Ensenada Marketing Tourism Committee, Ensenada Hotel and Motel Association, Proturismo Ensenada and Cruz Roja Mexicana.

     For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCORE-International.com.

‘Celebrating 50 Years of Desert Racing Excellence’

King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250, Fueled by Baja Vida

Round 1 of 4-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship

March 28-April 2 - San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico

 Total Entries: 90 (as of 2/18/23)

(from 18 U.S. States, host Mexico, Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand)
 
(Numerical order, by class)
Pro Cars/Trucks/UTVs
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (21*)
1 Luke McMillin
6 Dan Myers
7 Bryce Menzies
10 Alan Ampudia
11 Rob MacCachren
19 Tim Herbst
*21L Gustavo Vildosola Sr
21 Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola
23 Dan McMillin
26 Dave Taylor
*37L Rolf Helland
43 Larry Roeseler
46 Paul Weel
58 Tracy Graf
*61L David Payne
69 Andrew Myers
70 Kevin Thompson
*79L Russell Buehler
82 Sam Baldi
85 Mikey Lawrence
*85L Clay Lawrence
*SCORE TT LEGEND
CLASS 1 (2)
102 Adam Castaneda
168 Cody Reid
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (24)
2XX Jim Anderson
204 Christopher Polvoorde
205 Joe Delucie
207 Mason Cullen
225 Scott McNeil
228 Ryan Hancock
234 Jason McNeil
238 Elijah Kiger
240 Chris Miller
244 Oliver Flemate
246 Jose Castro
249 Dustin Swanson
260 Santiago Creel
263 EJ Herbst
264 Thor Herbst
270 Jimmy Diaz
275 Juan Sanchotena
277 Travis Williams
278 Carlos Ibarra
285 Justin Davis
289 Tanner Rust
292 Jason Coleman
294 Vincent Munoz
299 Charles Dorrance
CLASS 10 (3)
1004 Cade Garcia
1050 Martin Christenson
1091 Francisco Vera
PRO UTV OPEN (8)
1840 Richard Fant
1850 Paul Barnhart Jr
1854 Kristen Matlock
1867 Mike Pratt
1869 Justin Lambert
1871 Wayne Matlock
1885 Tyler Backus
1888 Roger Norman
PRO UTV FI (4)
2915 Rickey Arslanian
2935 Tomas Cantor
2958 Conner Willet
2995 Matt Monteith
CLASS 7 (1)
703 Scott Brady
PRO UTV NA (1)
1914 Lawrence Janesky
PRO UTV STOCK (3)
3908 Scott Bergen
3936 Jorge Cano
3943 Dennis Romero
CLASS 5 (2)
508 Greg Sullivan
545 Billy Gereghty
CLASS 5-1600 (1)
579 Edgar Ruiz
BAJA CHALLENGE (1)
BC4 Edward Muncey
CLASS 7F (1)
714F Justin Park
TROPHY LITE (1)
6XXX Chase Swanson
CLASS 11 (1)
1105 Oliver Flemate
Sportsman
SPT OPEN WHEEL (1)
1522 Christopher Augenti

Pro Motorcycles

PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (3)

13x Adrian Ortiz

15x Erid Holt

18x Aaron Volle

PRO MOTO IRONMAN (5)

711x Dustin Davis

718x Kurt Steever

723x Edgar Cota

757x Brandon Lebrun

758x Justin Cloutier

Pro Quads

Pro Quad (1)

21a Jose Castro

Sportsman

SPT M/C (6)

201x Nate Anderson

208x Miguel Luna

214x Lawrence Janesky

241x Cheo Tessaro

255x Isaac Amaya

290x Gerardo Rubio